Current:Home > FinanceYouTube implementing tougher policy on gun videos to protect youth -Insightful Finance Hub
YouTube implementing tougher policy on gun videos to protect youth
View
Date:2025-04-13 01:36:35
YouTube is updating its policy on firearm videos to keep potentially dangerous content from reaching underage users.
The video-sharing platform, which is owned by Google, announced this week it will prohibit any videos instructing how to remove firearm safety devices. Videos showing homemade guns, automatic weapons and certain firearm accessories like silencers will be restricted to users 18 and older.
The changes take effect on June 18 and come after gun safety advocates have repeatedly called on the platform to do more to ensure gun videos aren't making their way to the site's youngest users, potentially traumatizing children or sending them down dark paths of extremism and violence.
YouTube, which has a large community of so-called "gunfluencers" who are known to often promote firearms and accessories, already prohibited content that intended to sell firearms and accessories or instruct viewers how to make their own. It also does not allow livestreams that show people handling or holding firearms.
The video streaming platform said that while sometimes content does not violate its policies, it might not be appropriate for underage users. There are exceptions for videos that show firearms that are of public interest, such as news clips, war footage or police footage.
Katie Paul, director of the Tech Transparency Project, said the change was welcome news and a step in the right direction. But she questioned why the platform took so long to issue a new policy, and said her group will look to see how effectively YouTube enforces its new rule.
"Firearms are the number one cause of death for children and teens in America," said Paul, whose group has long sought stronger age controls on online gun videos. "As always with YouTube, the real proof of change is whether the company enforces the policies it has on the books. Until YouTube takes real action to prevent videos about guns and gun violence from reaching minors, its policies remain empty words."
Last year, researchers at Paul's group created YouTube accounts that mimicked the behavior of 9-year-old American boys with a stated interest in video games. The researchers found that YouTube's recommendations system forwarded these accounts graphic videos of school shootings, tactical gun training videos and how-to instructions on making firearms fully automatic.
One video featured an elementary school-age girl wielding a handgun; another showed a shooter using a .50 caliber gun to fire on a dummy head filled with lifelike blood and brains. Many of the videos violated YouTube's own policies against violent or gory content.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg called on YouTube last month to stop the proliferation of firearm-related videos to young users, and told the company it was failing to enforce its own policies. On Wednesday, Bragg said he applauded the company's new policy.
"We have heard firsthand from young individuals that YouTube's algorithm is driving them to the world of illegal and 3D-printed firearms, which is having a direct impact on the safety of Manhattanites," Bragg said in a statement.
YouTube said the policy changes were designed to reflect new developments, like 3D-printed guns, which have become more available in recent years. YouTube requires users under 17 to get their parent's permission before using the site; accounts for users younger than 13 are linked to the parental account.
"We regularly review our guidelines and consult with outside experts to make sure we are drawing the line at the right place," said company spokesman Javier Hernandez.
Along with TikTok, YouTube is one of the most popular sites for children and teens. Both sites have been questioned in the past for hosting, and in some cases promoting, videos that encourage gun violence, eating disorders and self-harm.
Several perpetrators of recent mass shootings have used social media and video streaming platforms to glorify violence, foreshadow or even livestream their attacks.
- In:
- Gun
- Gun Control
- YouTube
veryGood! (13196)
Related
- Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
- 'All in'? Why Dallas Cowboys' quiet free agency doesn't diminish Jerry Jones' bold claim
- Kyle Richards talks Morgan Wade kiss, rumors at 'RHOBH' reunion: 'I said yes for a reason'
- A Georgia woman died after trying to get AirPod from under conveyor belt, reports say
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- Hilary Duff’s Husband Matthew Koma Is All of Us Watching Love is Blind
- Regina King reflects on her son's death in emotional interview: 'Grief is a journey'
- Kansas is close to banning gender-affirming care as former GOP holdouts come aboard
- Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
- Gwyneth Paltrow swears this form of meditation changed her life. So I tried it with her.
Ranking
- Arkansas State Police probe death of woman found after officer
- Regina King reflects on her son's death in emotional interview: 'Grief is a journey'
- Parents of 7-Year-Old Girl Killed by Beach Sand Hole Break Silence
- What is a 'flat white'? Today's Google Doodle celebrates the coffee beverage
- House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
- Get a $78 Anthropologie Pullover for $18, 25% off T3 Hair Tools, $800 off Avocado Organic Mattress & More
- Interior Department will give tribal nations $120 million to fight climate-related threats
- Bipartisan child care bill gets Gov. Eric Holcomb’s signature
Recommendation
Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
Maryland Senate nearing vote on $63B budget legislation for next fiscal year
Actor Pierce Brosnan pleads guilty to walking in Yellowstone park thermal area, must pay $1,500
NFL investigating Eagles for tampering. Did Philadelphia tamper with Saquon Barkley?
Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
Get a $78 Anthropologie Pullover for $18, 25% off T3 Hair Tools, $800 off Avocado Organic Mattress & More
UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman from hospital bed: ‘I’m the happiest man in the world’
UNRWA says Israeli strike hit Gaza food aid center, killing 1 staffer and wounding 22 others